Everybody is reading romance. Whether it’s enemies to lovers, forced proximity, or fake relationships, people seek out the genre for their favorite romantic tropes. A misconception is that tropes guarantee redundancy, but they actually allow authors to pull off the opposite. They shape the foundation of the plot before the author adds unique characters, settings, and storylines. Categorizing these tropes connects readers with their favorite books and opens a world to captivating stories.

First and Foremost, What is a Trope?

There are thousands of book tropes in the literary world. Using them time and time again does not make them monotonous because the ways they are approached can be completely different. There can be unexpected twists and cliffhangers.

Tropes are very different from clichés. A cliché is an overused phrase that can perpetuate stereotypes; for example, the nerd who removes her glasses and becomes magically ‘pretty’. A cliché can also be a phrase like “all’s fair in love in war” or “there are plenty of fish in the sea.” They are overused phrases and details. A trope, on the other hand, is a method of organization. They are helpful to readers who need help sorting through a vast collection of books. For instance, fans of “enemies to lovers” can save time searching by identifying these words in a book synopsis and immediately taking it to the register.

Popular Tropes

Enemies To Lovers

Put simply, two characters begin by hating each other. This dynamic is expressed by sub-tropes like grumpy/sunshine duos and black cat/golden retriever. After continuous banter and tense glares, they realize how close ‘hate’ is to love. Whatever rift that stands between them becomes the source of what makes them so bonded.

Example: Red, White, & Royal Blue by Casey McQuiston

Friends to Lovers

Somewhat the inverse of enemies-to-lovers tropes, two characters misconstrue their love for simply friendship. Maybe it takes years of changing, maybe it takes an unexpected tinge of jealousy when they find someone else, but it eventually dawns on them: “You were right in front of me all along.”

Example: One Day by David Nicholls

Forced Proximity

There are a lot of variations of this fan-favorite trope. One sub-trope is “Oh, no. There’s only one bed,” heightening the tension even more. They simply cannot get physically away from each other yet it becomes evident that emotionally, they really cannot get away from each other.

Example: One Night on the Island by Josie Silver

Mafia/Celebrity/Billionaire

These book tropes might be the most twisted but readers love it. A character gets involved with a celebrity or billionaire and begins the narrative by convincing themselves they can resist the charm. As you may suspect, it turns out they cannot resist and neither can their love interest. Maybe the main character gets kidnapped by the mafia and falls in love with the captor—some call it romantic, others call it Stockholm syndrome. Either way, this is a judgment-free zone.

Example: 365 Days by Blanka Lipinska

Fake Romance

Many readers have encountered at least one story when there’s a wedding and they need a date, or an ex appears and they need a fake significant other to make them jealous or quell rumors. After faking affection for each other, they realize that they’re faking a little too well. As the lies become more truthful, the confusion of this dynamic creates a page-turner.

Example: The Wedding Date by Jasmine Guillory

Office/Holiday Romance

These tropes are largely dependent on the setting. It takes mundane spaces like an office or a family holiday party and livens them up with some sparks and romance. These are often combined with one of the tropes above. A character does not want to show up to the family holiday party without a date once again, becoming a Fake Romance sub-trope. They convince the family they are in love, and then they try to un-convince themselves they’re not. An office romance could be ‘enemies to lovers’ as two coworkers fight over promotion and eventually realize they are actually fighting a connection. No, these may not be relatable situations, but that is precisely the point.

Example: The Hating Game by Sally Thorne

The Controversial ‘Happy Ending’

Happy endings get a bad rep. They are even deemed unfashionable by critics. Nevertheless, in many of the romantic tropes we’ve discussed, a happy ending is almost always guaranteed. The guy gets the girl or the guy. This character declares their love in the rain. They reunite 10 years later. Giving it a sad ending for the sake of shocking readers will not always fare well. People often seek romance as a way to escape from a world of the unknown and feel comforted during the journey, that no matter what conflict arises, they will be satisfied with a positive and uplifting ending. It is not necessarily naive or ignorant. Sometimes we do overcome obstacles. Sometimes good can triumph and love can last.

Science backs how happy endings can benefit our brains. A study published by the Journal of Neuroscience used fMRI imaging and found that our brains put a lot of weight into the end of an experience.  Always anticipating a bad ending may influence whether or not you seek out situations that can provide hope or enjoyment. In short, give your brain some hope.

Example: Beach Read by Emily Henry

There are so many sub-tropes that it would take a textbook to cover even half of them. Explore these different romantic tropes and discover your favorites. Allow yourself to embrace the improbabilities and remember that it is not cliché to enjoy a happy ending.